CELEBRATING JOHN STEINBECK
The Ulster and Irish Influences
All his life Steinbeck would “claim the Irish as his own” and with some justification. This book examines the extent of Steinbeck’s Ulster roots, his “Irishness” and the influence all this had, both on his sense of himself and also on certain aspects of his creativity.
Content Covered
A European Tour
Steinbeck & Northern Ireland
John & Elaine In Derry
John Steinbeck in Ballykelly
Samuel Hamilton
The ‘Ulster Scots’ influences
Steinbeck in Ireland
Steinbeck’s Irishness
CHAPTER 1
A European Tour
In August 1952, John and Elaine Steinbeck came to Northern Ireland intent on visiting the tiny village of Ballykelly. Their visit was part of a working holiday that had begun in March of that year. John had been commissioned to travel Europe writing articles for Collier’s Magazine and Elaine had been employed to take accompanying photographs. The trip had…
Prior to arriving in Belfast, the couple had driven ‘all around Scotland’, but there is no record of them having visited Burns Cottage in Ayrshire, the birthplace of Robert Burns. This seems a strange…
Given that the family name was Hamilton, is it more than likely that Steinbeck’s Ulster Scots ancestors came from Ayrshire. Steinbeck may, or may not have been aware of this connection, but by this point he was focused on a long-cherished mission to uncover the reality of his Irish ancestry and its background. He said he had grown up with a strong sense of ‘demi-Irishness’ ever-present in his life. Aged fifty, this was an appropriate time to investigate the roots of this Irishness first-hand…
BOOK AUTHOR // FESTIVAL FOUNDER
Douglas Bartlett
Douglas Bartlett founded the Steinbeck Festival Limavady in 2019. As well as this booklet on Steinbeck, he is the author of ‘A History of Limavady and the Roe Valley (Prehistory to 1900)’, which is available to purchase at www.limavadyhistory.com. The author is a native of Limavady and a former Vice Principal and Head of History in Limavady High School where he worked for thirty five years.
Dust Bowl Photography Competition 2027
The committee of the Steinbeck Festival Limavady are thrilled to launched their annual ‘Dust Bowl’ Photography Competition in partnership with Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre. This is designed to celebrate the American writer’s important and enduring connection with the Roe Valley. John Steinbeck’s grandfather, Samuel Hamilton, was born there in Mulkeeragh near Ballykelly and this Ulster heritage deeply influenced Steinbeck’s life and work. Indeed, characters featuring in the new Netflix serialisation of his novel East of Eden are based on members of Steinbeck’s own family and their beliefs and behaviours should be familiar to us all..
This year’s theme for the competition is Moving People. People can be moved in many different ways, for example physically or emotionally. What does that title suggest to you? The subject has been deliberately designed to be open to the widest of artistic interpretations and accommodate the full range of genres and styles. John Steinbeck believed, “the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.” The main motivation for the organisers of the competition is their desire to encourage individual creativity. .
Entry to the competition is free and there are no age limits on participant entry.
Each entrant may submit up to three digital images to [email protected]. There is no entry fee and there are no age limits for those taking part. The closing date for the receipt of photographs is midnight on December 20th. Twenty of the best photographs will be exhibited in February at the Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre. The overall winner will receive a decorative “Dust Bowl”, hand thrown by the esteemed local ceramicist Adam Frew.
The sender must be the owner of the photograph(s) and if applicable, hold the portrait rights. Commendations and prizes will be awarded on the basis of general photographic and artistic merit as judged by the jury, as well as on their specific relevance to the literary legacy of John Steinbeck and the recurring themes in his work.
The closing date for the competition is Sunday 20th December 2026.
Let your imagination run free. The judges await your entries.
